Food dicer



Oct. 31, 1967 l. TRENOR 3,349,824

FOOD DIGER Filed Oct. 18, 1965 40 3-- /8 /5 20 40 A W :m

Irene 77'enar 1 N V EN T0 R United States Patent G 3,349,824 FOOD DICER Irene Trenor, 210 W. 12th St., Streator, Ill. 61364 Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 497,139 4 Claims. (Cl. 146-203) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The food dicer shown is manually usable. It comprises a rigid rectangular frame equipped with a screen-like dicing grid. The frame is provided at opposite end por tions with inverted V-shaped upstanding struts. Handle means bridges the space between the upper end portions of the struts. The handle means embodies a handgrip of a length less than the length of the frame. The struts slope upwardly and inwardly toward each other and are joined with the handle means.

The present invention relates to a manually usable food dicer which is expressly but not necessarily, designed and constructed to enable the user to expeditiously prepare potato salad.

Briefly, the preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by a rigid frame embodying interconnected coplanar end and side frame members. The frame provides a mounting and support for a screen-like dicing grid, more particularly, a grid which embodies a plurality of crossed interconnected and suitably spaced cutting wires. These longitudinal and transverse wires are connected at their respective outer ends to predetermined members of the aforementioned frame. The frame is supported and utilized by a pair of opposed upstanding struts which have upper end portions terminating in a common plane to accommodatingly support rigidified handle means. The handle means bridges the space between and has its end portions detachably but nevertheless rigidly joined to the respectively oriented and coordinating upper ends of the struts. More specifically, the handle means embodies a handgrip which is of a length less than the length of the underlying frame and which is disposed in a plane parallel to and directly above the frame and grid wires carried by the frame.

The struts are unique in that they are of inverted V- shape form in end elevation. Each strut embodies outwardly downwardly diverging legs having lower end portions thereof joined to the respectively associated and coacting corner portions of the grid-equipped frame. This construction and arrangement of component parts ensures the provision of a well balanced and easy-to-handle implement.

For better results and efiiciency the end struts are inclined or toed inwardly toward each other and slope upwardly and have their vertex or upper end portions integrated with handle mounting eyes, more specifically, eyes which are fiat and of washer like form. When the handle means is mounted in the manner shown and thus supported by the aligned eyes, stress and strain is equalized and the pressure is imparted in a uniform manner to the dicing grid.

The handle means features a headed bolt with the headed end cooperating with one eye and with the threaded end passing through and beyond the other eye and carrying a nut which can be readily tightened. Then, too, the handle means embodies a wooden or equivalent handgrip having an axial bore through which the major portion of the bolt passes, the end portions of the handgrip being flattened and in firm abutting contact with the inner faces of the aforementioned washer-like eyes.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a food dicer constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken centrally through the device and with parts appearing in section and elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the vertical section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the grid with the handle means omitted for clearness of presentation.

The frame is denoted by the numeral 6 and is preferably rectangular in form and comprises a pair of coplanar spaced parallel longitudinal side members 8 and connected at their end portions by intervening transverse end members 10. These frame members are fashioned from rod stock of suitable cross-section in gauge and preferably circular or round in cross-section. The corner portions can be rounded in the manner shown. The frame is preferably of stainless steel as are the crossed interconnected cutting wires. The longitudinal wires are denoted at 12 and the transverse wires at 14. The wires are of requisite fine gauge for satisfactory cutting purposes. They are also so interrelated and crossed that the dicing openings are rectangular and approximately one-half inch in plan dimension. In the model which has been made and found to be satisfactory there are fourteen fine: wires (five across and nine lengthwise). It will be understood, however, that any number of wires as suggested in the views of the drawing may be satisfactorily employed. The half inch openings which are preferred lend themselves to highly efiicient use when making potato salad.

The elevated handle means is denoted as a unit by the numeral 16 and comprises a suitably shaped wooden or equivalent handgrip 18 having flat circular ends 20. A bolt 22 has its shank portion 24 extending fittingly through an axial bore 26 provided therefor in the handgrip. There is a head 28 at one end and a screw-threaded portion 30 at the other end which accommodates an accessible fingerturnable nut 32.

The handle means is supported by way of the upstanding generally vertical struts 34. The struts are the same in construction and a description of one will suffice for both. This is to say, each strut is of inverted V-shaped form and embodies a pair of downwardly diverging legs or limbs 36 which are of rod stock and have their lower end portions 38 connected to the cooperating corner portions of the frame 6. The upper converging ends are provided with eyes, each eye is of flat washer-like construction as denoted at 40. The head end of the bolt is inserted and passed through the eye at the left and then through the bore 26 of the handgrip with the threaded end extending through and beyond the eye 40 at the right. The fiat end portions 20 of the handgrip are clamped firmly against the respective eyes. Inasmuch as the struts.

slope upwardly and inwardly the handgrip 18 is of a length less than the overall length of the frame 6.

It is reiterated that all parts are of metal and preferably stainless steel and cooperates in providing a well balanced but nevertheless lightweight and rigid dicer.

As is the case with most hand-held and manipulatable portable implements, particularly those for kitchen use, the user will resort to whatever mode of utilization is deemed to be best depending upon the particular food or product which is to be diced. The implement shown is relatively small and approximately five inches in length and three inches in width. The height from the bottom of the base or frame to the crest of the handgrip is four and a half inches. The handgrip itself is preferably one inch in cross-section. The distance between the upper vertex end portions of the struts is four inches, that is, just below and parallel to the handgrip. The invention serves in a highly satisfactory manner as a potato salad dicer and in fact is quite easy to use. It is suggested in this connection that the user should boil the potatoes and eggs. If the potato is large it is desirable and preferable to cut it in half lengthwise but to leave the egg whole. The next step is to place the potato and egg on a sheet of wax paper, press the dicer and thus achieve the quick but satisfactory end result desired. The dicing screen or grid can be scraped across the edge of a bowl for temporary cleaning or, as suggested, handled in such manner as the user deemed advisable.

It is submitted that the invention well serves the purposes for which it is intended, and, being quite simple in construction a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A manually usable food dicer comprising a rigid rectangular frame embodying interconnected end and side frame members, a screen-like dicing grid embodying a plurality of crossed interconnected spaced cutting wires spanning and afiixed to prescribed frame members, said frame being provided at opposite end portions with upstanding struts having upper end portions terminating in a common plane, and handle means bridging the space between and having end portions detachably but rigidly joined to the respectively oriented and coordinating upper ends of said struts, said handle means embodying a handgrip of a length less than said frame and disposed in a plane parallel to and directly above said frame and grid, said grid being flat and coplanar with the plane of the overall frame, said struts being inverted V-shaped in end elevation, each strut embodying outwardly downwardly diverging legs having lower ends joined to the respectively coacting corner portions of said frame.

2. The structure according to claim 1, and wherein said struts slope upwardly inwardly toward each other, the upper converging ends of the legs of each strut being joined to and provided with an integral eye, said handle means being mounted atop said struts and embodying a bolt with ends thereof extending through and beyond the respective eyes, said handgrip being mounted on said bolt with the ends thereof abutting their respectively adjacent eyes.

3. The structure according to claim 2, and wherein each eye is flat and washer-like in form, said eyes being parallel to each other and the ends of said handgrip being flat and having firm abutting contact with said eyes.

4. A manually usable food dicer comprising: a rectangular frame embodying interconnected rigid end and side rods round in cross-section, a fiat screen-like dicing grid made up of a plurality of crossed interconnected stainless steel cutting wires spanning said frame with terminal end portions affixed to their associatively cooperable end and side frame members, said frame being provided at its transverse ends with duplicate inverted V- shaped struts, each strut embodying a pair of legs having lower ends joined integrally with the respectively cooperating corner portions of said frame, said struts sloping upwardly and inwardly toward each other, the upper converging ends of the legs of each strut being joined to a fiat washer-like eye, a bolt having end portions inserted passing removably through the respective eyes, and a handgrip positioned between said eyes and having an axial bore, said bolt passing through said bore, the ends of said grip being flat and abutting their respectively cooperable eyes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,531,314 3/1925 Simberg et al. 146203 1,581,310 4/1926 Fetschan 30303 1,910,229 5/1933 Baker. 2,242,607 5/1941 Ehlke 146213 X WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

11V. GRAYDON ABERCROMBIE, Examiner. 

1. A MANUALY USABLE FOOD DICER COMPRISING A RIGID RECTANGULAR FRAME EMBODYING INTERCONNECTED END AND SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, A SCREEN-LIKE DICING GRID EMBODYING A PLURALITY OF CROSSED INTERCONNECTED SPACED CUTTING WIRES SPANNING AND AFFIXED TO PRESCRIBED FRAME MEMBERS, SAID FRAME BEING PROVIDED AT OPPOSITE END PORTIONS WITH UPSTANDING STRUTS HAVING UPPER END PORTIONS TERMINATING IN A COMMON PLANE, AND HANDLE MEANS BRIDGING THE SPACE BETWEEN AND HAVING END PORTIONS DETACHABLY BUT RIGIDLY JOINED TO THE RESPECTIVELY ORIENTED AND COORDINATING UPPER ENDS OF SAID STRUTS, SAID HANDLE MEANS EMBODYING A HANDGRIP OF A LENGTH LESS THAN SAID FRAME AND DISPOSED IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO AND DIRECTLY ABOVE SAID FRAME AND GRID, SAID GRID BEING FLAT AND COPLANAR WITH THE PLANE OF THE OVERALL FRAME, SAID STRUTS BEING INVERTED V-SHAPED IN END ELEVATION, EACH STRUT EMBODYING OUTWARDLY DOWNWARDLY DIVERGING LEGS HAVING LOWER ENDS JOINED TO THE RESPECTIVELY COACTING CORNER PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME. 